Another round of devastating , including , is slated to sweep across areas of this week as residents are being told to buckle down and prepare for massive damage. Horrifying maps show the giant swathes of land that could be impacted by the deadly storms, with almost all of , and under at least tornado watches, with a select few counties under tornado warnings. from the indicates that nearly all of West
Virginia is under a tornado watch until 1 p.m. EDT, while most of Tennessee and Kentucky as well as one county in Oklahoma and another in Ohio are under watches until 3 p.m. CDT (2 p.m. EDT). Warnings, however, were issued for northern and central West Virginia until 1 p.m. EDT, with several counties impacted. A warning differs from a watch in that a warning indicates that a tornado has been spotted, while a watch simply means they're likely to form. The NWS wrote , "At 11:33 a.m. EDT, a severe squall line capable of producing both tornadoes and extensive straight line wind damage was located along a line extending from 9 miles northwest of Grantsville to near Arnoldsburg to 8 miles south of Spencer, moving east at 65 mph." Earlier in the morning, an EF-1 tornado hit Chaplin, Kentucky, a tiny town about 47 miles southeast of Louisville. The NWS reported that it battered the area with 90-mph winds. Grantsville is a small town located in Calhoun County in the northwest of the sparsely populated state, with the nearest big cities being Columbus, Ohio, and Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, which are both around 160 to 170 miles northwest and northeast of the region, respectively. The NWS continued, "Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely." The government agency encouraged residents to "TAKE COVER NOW!" by moving to a basement or interior room in a sturdy building, making sure to stay away from windows. "If you are outdoors, in a mobile home or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris," the NWS wrote. "Motorists should not take shelter under highway overpasses. If you cannot safely drive away from the tornado, as a last resort, either park your vehicle and stay put or abandon your vehicle and lie down in a low-lying area and protect yourself from flying debris." In addition to the tornadoes, "torrential rainfall" that could lead to "flash flooding" is expected, which could deter travel and make it harder for those seeking shelter to find an adequate place to hide, should they find themselves out in the storms. The tornado warnings seemed to be confined to West Virginia, with others issued in Nicholas, Raleigh and Fayette Counties in the southeastern regions of the state and in southeastern Kanawha and east central Boone Counties in the central regions of the state. Most warnings were in effect until 11:45 a.m., but the severe damage from the storms, even if not caused by tornadoes, was expected to last for several hours after that. The storms began in the Midwest but moved southward, previous weather maps indicate, though it's not clear their exact trajectory and what states could be in danger over the coming days as the fronts continue to move.